What is a proverb in literature? Brief definition. We define what a proverb is

Proverbs and sayings are actively involved in people's daily communication. Very often, out of ignorance, these different terms are combined into one whole, calling a saying a proverb, and vice versa. Very few people know the difference between a proverb and a saying.

Where did proverbs and sayings come from?

The time when the first proverbs and sayings appeared remains a secret. We can only say that it was a very long time ago, about ten centuries ago. The author of these sayings was not a specific person, but the Russian people. In this way people described natural situations and events happening in the life of society:

Your customs and traditions.
They made fun of their enemies.
They shamed society for its vices: anger, rudeness, laziness, envy, pride.

Several early proverbs were mentioned in chronicles and ancient written works, for example, in The Tale of Igor's Campaign. Since those times, the first handwritten collections of stable folk expressions have been preserved.

The source of later proverbs and sayings are literary works different authors. As an example, we can cite “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov. Dozens of phrases from this comedy fell in love with the people and turned into catchphrases.

A greater variety of semantic phrases came from Russian folk tales, fable. The well-known fables of Ivan Andreevich Krylov became a real casket. Most famous sayings everyone knows about them. " It's your fault that I want to eat" or " The powerful are always to blame for the powerless“- both an adult and a child know.

What is a proverb?

A saying invented by the people in order to convey to a person some kind of worldly wisdom , help implement right choice, called proverb . Usually it contains two parts. The second part, in most cases, is designed to rhyme with the first part. Having morality - required condition to consider the expression a proverb.

Morality- a moral teaching with meaning that needs to be conveyed to the consciousness of listeners.

As a rule, proverbs describe the following pressing topics:

Work.
Job.
Family
Friendship.
Health.

There is no doubt about the veracity of proverbs, because for many centuries they have stood the test of time. People have been convinced more than once of the authenticity of their motives.

Most correct definition Our grandparents can tell us what a proverb is. In their times folk genre enjoyed greater popularity than in modern days.

What is a saying?

A proverb is a set of words that briefly describe certain life moments in a bright figurative form. This is a short phrase that gives the conversation emotional coloring. Most often it is part of the proposal. It is not her task to teach the listener anything. The main purpose of the saying is add bright colors to your speech.

Every person encounters sayings every day. Perhaps many people do not notice how they themselves use such statements in their everyday vocabulary. Examples of sayings:

"Knock it off."
"The cat cried."
"To waste money".
"Puzzle over".
"Seven spans on the forehead."

What are the differences between sayings and proverbs?

A common point is when on the Internet or in other collections of information there are articles where proverbs and sayings are summarized in single concept. In fact, this is wrong. Perhaps people have had this misconception since their school days. Or the confusion is due to the similar sound of these two terms. In any case, you should know that these words have different meanings. Accordingly, they cannot be used as substitutes for each other.

What is the difference between a saying and proverbs? Let's find out the main subtleties.

The proverb confirms the wisdom, knowledge and experience of the people. The main idea of the saying is to express the character, emotions, and feelings of people.

If you carry out comparative analysis proverbs with a saying can be found following discrepancies:

How to distinguish a proverb from a saying?

Both proverbs and sayings were invented by people and for people. Both are written in easy-to-understand language. Many people cannot recognize which genre an expression belongs to. In principle, you don’t have to think about this issue and move on with your life in peace. But for general development, such information will not be superfluous. Moreover, knowing some secrets, you can learn, without much difficulty, to distinguish between proverbs and sayings. Let's look at them.

So, we're talking about about the proverb, If:

A phrase is a complete sentence.
Has an instructive message.
The second part of the statement rhymes with the first.

Proverb recognized by the following characteristics:

A short phrase of two to four words.
Has no morals.
Included in the offer.
Used to give bright image in a sentence.

These are the main points of difference between a proverb and a saying. If desired, you can easily remember them and surprise the people around you with your knowledge.

Video on the topic

Without exaggeration, proverbs can be called the treasury of any nation. They develop historically, generalize everyday experience And folk wisdom. Regardless of the level of education and place of residence, every person regularly uses colloquial speech about 200-300 different jokes and catchphrases. proverb?" is interpreted in different ways, and many philologists and historians are trying to find the correct answer. These apt sayings, which have an intelligible content, often consist of two rhyming parts. Sometimes we don’t even notice how often we use various proverbs V ordinary life. After all, they are able to revive dry speech, add to it national color and succinctly describe a particular situation.

Usually, good proverbs have two meanings: literal and figurative. With their help, any thought or life observation is conveyed in a metaphorical form. These short sayings are a real national treasure and have not lost their relevance to this day.

How to define what a proverb is?

In order to understand where the success of this morphological design lies, you need to know what it is. Definition of "what is a proverb?" you can give this. This is a certain genre of folklore, a logically complete, figurative and capacious saying in a rhythmic form, which has a great semantic load. This term has Russian origin and implies that the proverb is used in real life. It most clearly manifests following signs folk sayings:

1. Collectiveness of creativity (as a rule, sayings do not have an author; they were created over a certain period of time and supplemented by different people).

2. Traditionality, that is, sustainability. As a rule, the text of the proverb remains practically unchanged.

3. Orality. These sayings are much more connected with direct and immediate speech than others.

In order to explain a proverb, you need to know the language in which it is pronounced well in order to grasp figurative sense. Such sayings necessarily carry some conclusions about what is good and what is bad, how to act correctly and how not to act.

Proverbs in other countries

Of course, this arose and developed not only in Rus'. Such catchphrases exist in almost every country, because they are an indispensable companion historical progress humanity. What is noteworthy is that almost every proverb has its analogues among other nations. Of course, it is adapted to the living conditions and level of civilization of each ethnic group, but the very fact of such a common idea makes scientists puzzle over it. Most likely, this can be explained by the fact that the main and ideas public life are the same in all countries. This is a kind of set of rules, historical heritage and philosophical memory.

The most common themes of proverbs

If we look at this folklore genre in more detail, we will notice that there are areas of life about which there are a lot of statements and sayings. Most often they talk about the need to work to ensure decent life, about how negative laziness and lack of goals are in a person. They all aim to motivate people to lead a useful and functional lifestyle. For example, how to understand the proverb:

"Lazy hands are not relatives smart head" or "Work feeds a person, but laziness spoils him"? The answer is obvious: people who do not want to do anything are doomed to a boring and useless life. Work, on the contrary, gives people joy and an understanding of their own need for society and loved ones.

The wolf is a popular image for proverbs

American philologists conducted interesting research and found out that images of animals are very often used in Russian sayings. One of them, undoubtedly, is the wolf. In order to reveal the nature of this feature, we must remember that Russian people have been inextricably linked for centuries with environment. They knew firsthand about wolves and thoroughly studied their habits and way of life.

It is not surprising that there are so many fairy tales, riddles and proverbs associated with this beast. He has no compassion, trusts no one and has no friends. It was these qualities that served as the impetus for playing up the image of the wolf in Russian folklore.

When the USSR arose, the government had to create a completely new ideology. This is how sayings arose such as " Soviet people harder than rocks." They carried a motivating meaning. These short and succinct sayings were supposed to make it clear to the citizens of the USSR and the whole world how correct the path of socialism chosen by this country was.

But folklore cannot be subordinated to political goals. Proverbs that were created professional writers and poets, never took root in everyday life and remained to sound like slogans printed in newspapers and on banners. With the collapse Soviet Union they instantly lost their significance and are of interest only to historians and philologists.

How to correctly use sayings in everyday speech?

Like any phraseological units, proverbs need to be able to be added to the lexicon in a timely and appropriate manner. If the speech is oversaturated with them, then the interlocutor will get the impression that the person does not have his own ideas and is only able to think in clichés. Everything should be in moderation.

Thus, having studied the features of this genre, we can define “what a proverb is” and understand its historical essence.

The saying is a small folklore genre akin to a proverb (together they make up a proverb); a short, stable folk saying that expressively characterizes a life phenomenon in figurative form, applied to many similar cases.

Origin of the saying

Sayings, along with proverbs, developed and existed in oral folk art as a reflection life experience and observations of people. These apt sayings are passed down from century to century, thereby accompanying the people throughout history.

IN fiction A proverb is an allegory, a historically established phrase that defines a life phenomenon and gives it an expressive assessment, often in a humorous form.

In some national (German, English, Polish, Czech, Slovak) folklore traditions, the genres of proverbs and sayings are not distinguished, which is due to the lack of a generally accepted view in linguistics. Despite the close connection between the genres, most modern researchers separate sayings from proverbs and establish conditional genre and stylistic differences between them.

The difference between a saying and a proverb

Unlike a proverb, a saying does not express a complete judgment, does not contain a general edifying meaning, but conveys a judgment of a private nature and acquires meaning only in a speech context. In V. I. Dahl’s “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language,” the proverb is “a short, collapsible speech, current among the people, but not constituting a complete proverb.”

Syntactic construction

In contrast to the semantic and syntactic completeness of a proverb, which grammatically constitutes the form of a complete sentence, the saying is predominantly incomplete sentence or a fragment of it.

Sayings can be expressed in comparative terms: appeared (fell out of the blue); verb form with it. noun: equated a pig to a horse; affirmative impersonal sentences with the word “no” in the form of a predicate: every cloud has a silver lining, there is no smoke without fire; generalized and personal sentences: you can’t escape fate, we’ll wait and see, etc.

Variation of sayings

The lexical and grammatical restructuring of the saying, in particular the replacement of words with similar meanings, leads to the formation of new variants of expression. For example: the original form is to see a bird by its flight, the derivative version is to know an owl by its flight; light (the world) is not without good people.

Proverb - abbreviated proverb

Abbreviated proverbs can be transformed into sayings: the proverb “you are chasing two hares” is part of the proverb “if you chase two hares, you will not catch either”; “an attempt is not torture, (and demand is not a problem)”; or, on the contrary, some sayings are supplemented with words and form proverbs: the proverb “rakes in heat with someone else’s hands” is included in the proverb “It’s easy to rake in heat with someone else’s hands.”

Stylistic devices in sayings

Examples of the proverb genre are often built on hyperbole: lost in three pines; long time no see; the drunken sea is knee-deep. Metaphors were also widely used: seven Fridays in a week; stay with nothing; tongue without bones; dog in the manger; walls have ears; and reception figurative comparison- they tore me off like a stick. In addition, in sayings there is a tautology that is typical for oral folk speech: they knock out a wedge with a wedge, don’t teach a scientist.

The meaning of the saying

The saying still is effective way precise and concise expression of thoughts as in artistic speech, and in conversation.

Examples of sayings:

Output to clean water; two by two is four; keep your mouth shut; small but daring; my hut is on the edge; learn from mistakes; master or disappeared; steam does not ache the bones; the truth stings the eyes; the first pancake is lumpy; it doesn’t happen once in a while; You can see better from the mountain; Lawless Heart; Good riddance; It is funny and sad at the same time; The morning is wiser than the evening; a little bit of good stuff, etc.

Proverbs and sayings belong to the folklore genre. They are usually placed side by side, although there are clear differences between them.

Proverbs are short folk sayings applied to various life phenomena. Typically, proverbs consist of two parts that rhyme with each other. A striking example Such a proverb is the phrase “You can’t even pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.”

The first proverbs appeared a long time ago. They were formed by ordinary Russian people. Many of the proverbs were used in ancient chronicles and works. Among such works are “The Tale of Igor’s Host”, written in the 12th century, and “The Prayer of Daniel the Imprisoner” from the 13th century. In addition, special handwritten collections of proverbs were already known from the 12th century.

In figurative and wise sayings, the Russian people imprinted their traditions, customs and morals, caustically and wittily ridiculed their enemies, and also shamed such negative traits like anger, envy, greed.

The source of later proverbs can be called various works of Russian and foreign authors. For example, in the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov there are several dozen phrases and expressions that later became proverbs. Many proverbs are based on some kind of fable or fairy tale.

A saying differs from a proverb in that it is devoid of a general instructive meaning. IN Everyday life We often use sayings and don’t even think about where they came from. Everyone has probably heard such phrases as “Seven Fridays in a week” or “Put your teeth on the shelf”, these are sayings.

Almost all sayings came into our speech from various literary works.

Define the concept of “proverb” Many great people tried, including V.I. Dal, M.I. Snegirev, S.I. Ozhegov. Everyone interpreted it differently, but the essence is the same. In this article we have presented different definitions, scientific and modern. This will allow you to get a complete picture of what is a proverb.

A proverb is a short figurative complete saying, usually rhythmic in form, with an edifying meaning. Russian proverbs are the best and most expressive of all the proverbs in the world.

Great Dictionary of Russian language:

An apt, figurative saying that summarizes various phenomena of life and usually has an edifying meaning.

Dictionary S. I. Ozhegova:

A short folk saying with edifying content, a folk aphorism.

Explanatory Dictionary of V. I. Dahl:

A proverb is a short saying, a teaching, more in the form of a parable, an allegory, or in the form of an everyday sentence; a proverb is an individual of a language, a folk speech, it is not composed, but is born on its own; this is the walking mind of the people; it turns into a proverb or a simple figure of speech.

Dictionary-reference book linguistic terms(Rosenthal D. E., Telenkova M. A.):

A figurative complete saying that has an edifying meaning, usually characterized by a special rhythmic-intonation and phonetic design (parallelism of construction, poetic meter, sound repetitions, rhyme, etc.). Examples: Take care of the collective farm, you will get a cartload of bread. If you're afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest. If you love to ride, you also love to carry a sled. Rely on the tractor, but don’t abandon the horse. By untruth you will pass through the world, but you will not return back. Trying is not torture, and demand is not a problem. Even a wolf does not take a willing herd. Learning is light and ignorance is darkness.

Russian explanatory dictionary by V. V. Lopatin:

A short folk saying, a complete statement with an edifying meaning. To become a proverb means to become well-known, to become famous.

Explanatory dictionary by T. F. Efremova:

A proverb is an apt figurative saying, usually rhythmic in form, generalizing, typifying various phenomena of life and having an edifying meaning.

Dictionary literary terms(S.P. Belokurova):

Proverb - oral genre folk art, a complete apt figurative saying that has entered into everyday speech, applicable to a wide variety of life situations and has an instructive meaning. Proverbs are usually rhythmically organized. By origin they are divided into folk (folklore) and author's ( winged words). For example: “There is no judgment”, “A bad head gives no rest to your feet”, “Every house is a master”, “Live and learn”; "Gossips scarier than a pistol"(A.S. Griboyedov).

From the literary dictionary:

A short figurative expression with an edifying meaning. A proverb often has both a literal and figurative (figurative) plan. A proverb can perform a variety of functions: confirm some fact of life(this is exactly what happens), give an assessment (this is good, or that is bad), recommend what to do in this or that case (act this way, not that way), etc. The emergence of many proverbs is associated with real historical events(Here’s to you, grandma, and St. George’s Day; Moscow burned down from a penny candle). The imagery of proverbs is often associated with the realities of everyday life (The ladder must be swept from above, not from below; A wedge is knocked out with a wedge). A proverb, which has the nature of advice, recommendation, appears in the form of an incentive sentence (If you like to ride, love to carry a sleigh; Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself). Over time, a proverb, having lost part of its verbal expression, can become a phraseological unit.

Definition for schoolchildren, for children

Children and schoolchildren will understand proverb definitions, taken from Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary or Lopatin’s Russian Explanatory Dictionary. In our opinion, the interpretation from the literary dictionary is broad and understandable for children.

An adult can make up own definition proverbs based on the information read. For example: A proverb is a piece of folklore, a short, wise saying. The text of the proverb consists of one sentence. Or: A proverb is a short folk saying, a complete statement with instructive meaning, rhythmic and apt expression.

Examples of proverbs

Spring is red with flowers and autumn with pies
It takes a second to break a tree, but to grow it - whole year.
If you pet a dog, it won’t go into a fight with you.
Seven times measure cut once.
You can't even catch a fish from a pond without difficulty.
Learning to read and write is always useful.
What is written with a pen cannot be cut down with an axe.
If you love to ride, you also love to carry a sled.

Definition from the book by V. I. Dahl “Proverbs and Sayings of the Russian People”

A proverb is a short parable; She herself says that “naked speech is not a proverb.” This is a judgment, a sentence, a teaching, expressed in an oblique manner and put into circulation, under the coinage of the people. A proverb is a roundabout phrase, with an application to the point, understood and accepted by everyone. But “speech alone is not a proverb”: like any parable, a complete proverb consists of two parts: a circumlocution, a picture, a general judgment and an application, interpretation, teaching; Often, however, the second part is omitted, left to the ingenuity of the listener, and then a proverb can hardly be distinguished from a saying. Here are examples complete proverbs: “In time to wait, God has something to give”; “Every fish is good if it catches fish”; “The devil was climbing behind the clouds, but he was cut short”; “It’s not in you, so don’t look for it in the village,” etc.

With this concept of a proverb, we must agree that it is not composed, but is forced by the force of circumstances, like a cry or exclamation that involuntarily escaped from the soul; These are whole sayings, crammed into one lump, into one interjection. The collection of proverbs is a collection of folk experienced wisdom and superstition, these are groans and sighs, crying and sobbing, joy and joy, grief and consolation in faces; this is the color of the people's mind, the original state; This is everyday folk truth, a kind of law of justice, not judged by anyone. “What doesn’t hurt, doesn’t cry”; what did not reach the people, did not touch their life, did not move either their mind or their heart, and that is not in the proverbs; whatever got involved, good or bad, in his life, you will find in the proverb. And in order to recognize this and reach conclusions that are therefore correct about the life of the people, we need not a flower garden of proverbs, not a selection of what we like, but a complete collection, at least a whole quarter of it, as mentioned above, was not to our taste. “Everyone will love us, but love us in the dark.”

From the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia

A proverb is a concise, commonly used saying that lives in popular speech. The content of proverbs is so diverse that it is hardly possible to define them on the basis of this feature; usually this is a general judgment or instruction relating to some aspect of life.

The form of proverbs - apart from its obligatory aphoristic brevity - also does not represent anything permanent. The “formal duality” of proverbs can be considered its hallmark only when comparing it with a saying: a proverb. binomial, like any logical sentence; a saying - one part of a judgment, reminiscent of it - is always monomonic. Most characteristic feature proverbs - their role in everyday life, their use.

The origin of the proverb is similar to other elementary works of folk art; personal and group moments are inextricably linked in its creation; an apt definition, a successful comparison, a concise and clear formula may belong to one person, but only their use in similar cases introduces them into the composition of popular speech; In this sense only, Dahl’s remark is true that the proverb “is not composed, but is born on its own.”

From this point of view, there is no difference between a proverb that has passed into speech from the Bible or from Krylov’s fable, and a purely folk proverb, the origin of which is unknown: both one and the other became a proverb only since it can be found in circulation, since it, so to speak, lost its author and became an element of popular speech and popular thinking.

Thoughts on Proverbs

“We will consider proverbs as works of art native word, expressing the life of the people, their common sense and moral interests." F. I. Buslaev

“A proverb is not some forward-written opinion or assumption about a matter, but an already summed up result of the matter, the sediment of events that have already fermented and ended, the final extraction of the power of the matter from all sides of it, and not from just one.” N.V. Gogol. The writer also emphasized that proverbs are the result of long-term observations of the people, their collective experience.

“When the people begin to observe and reflect, then the fruits of their observations and reflections appear in short, sharp and intricate sayings, which turn into proverbs.” These proverbs “constitute a worldly verdict, a general opinion.” Proverbs are important “for the history of the human mind; because it shines in them inner life the people, their distinctive properties and the prevailing opinions in them, the present is closely connected with the past and the future, their family life with the nationality, and the nationality with humanity.” “...Proverbs, being closely connected with the history of the language and people, can serve as monuments of various national circumstances and aids for history.” I. M. Snegirev

The variety of definitions of proverbs can tell us about the heterogeneity of the proverbs themselves. They differ in imagery, composition, syntax, origin in time, environment of origin, etc.

Proverbs and sayings have come to us since ancient times. These are short, simple, but rich in thought sayings.

They were formed by the people even before literacy appeared in Rus'. A people who could neither read nor write, how would they create their own oral school. In their best proverbs, the people passed on their cherished rules of life from fathers to sons, from grandfathers to grandchildren, and taught children to be wise.

That is why proverbs contain the wisdom of the people, that is why they reflect the people’s views on life.

Ancient proverbs live in our native language and today: both in conversation and in books. Proverbs decorate our speech, make it lively and witty. Russian writers and poets loved to listen to people speak and wrote down proverbs and sayings.

My day in proverbs and sayings.

In the morning the sun rises, it calls everyone to get up.

Washing.

I bought soap to wash the stigma.

You can't spoil porridge with oil.

Go to school.

Put off idleness, but don’t put off doing things. The man is uneducated and the ax is not sharpened.

A big piece makes your mouth happy.

Homework.

Some on horseback, some on foot, and some on all fours. A blunder and a blunder - the ship will not leave.

The day until the evening is boring if there is nothing to do.

Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to your enemy.

The morning is wiser than the evening.

Fairy tales according to proverbs

Two friends.

Once upon a time there lived two friends, Sasha and Katya. They signed up for the ski section. Sasha skated better than Katya. Now it's time for the competition. The coach showed the girls the route they should run on and wished them good luck. Sasha and Katya were in the lead, but then Sasha’s ski broke. Katya laughed and ran away. The girls running behind helped Sasha reach the finish line. They were late, but did not abandon the man in trouble. After this incident, Sasha did not become friends with Katya - their friendship broke up.

Friendship is like glass, if you break it, you won’t be able to put it back together.

As it comes back, so will it respond.

Once upon a time there was a boy, Petya. He was an angry boy, he didn’t like cats, if he sees a kitten, he immediately takes it and throws a stone at it.

I saw this good wizard and decided to turn Petya into a kitten. So Petya the boy became Petya the kitten.

Petya wanders around hungry, looking for something to eat, suddenly some boy runs out and kicks Petya. Petya the kitten felt hurt and offended, and he told himself that he would never hurt kittens again. After all, as it comes back, so will it respond. The wizard heard this and turned the kitten Petya back into a boy.

Now Petya never hurts animals and doesn’t allow others to do so.

Together it’s cramped, but apart it’s boring.

There lived a brother and sister. They had a lot of toys. They constantly quarreled over them. And they decided to share the toys. They divided it up, and everyone began to play in their own corner.

But the soldiers had no one to protect, because the dolls were in another corner.

And there was no one to feed the dolls: there were no soldiers nearby!

Brother and sister sat, thought and decided: “Together it’s cramped, but apart it’s boring!”

Without exaggeration, proverbs can be called the treasury of any nation. They develop historically and generalize everyday experience and folk wisdom. Regardless of the level of education and place of residence, each person regularly uses about 200-300 different jokes and catchphrases in their colloquial speech. Definition of “What is a proverb?” is interpreted in different ways, and many philologists and historians are trying to find the correct answer. These apt sayings, which have an intelligible content, often consist of two rhyming parts. Sometimes we don’t even notice how often we use various proverbs in everyday life. After all, they are able to enliven dry speech, add national flavor to it and succinctly characterize a particular situation.

As a rule, good proverbs have two meanings: literal and figurative. With their help, any thought or life observation is conveyed in a metaphorical form. These short sayings are a real national treasure and have not lost their relevance to this day.

How to define what a proverb is?

In order to understand where the success of this morphological design lies, you need to know what it is. Definition of “what is a proverb?” you can give this. This is a certain genre of folklore, a logically complete, figurative and capacious saying in a rhythmic form, which has a great semantic load. This term is of Russian origin and implies that the proverb is used in lively colloquial speech. It most clearly shows the following features of folk sayings:

1. Collectiveness of creativity (as a rule, sayings do not have an author; they were created over a certain period of time and supplemented by different people).

2. Traditionality, that is, sustainability. As a rule, the text of the proverb remains practically unchanged.

3. Orality. These sayings are much more connected with direct and immediate speech than others.

In order to explain a proverb, you need to know the language in which it is pronounced well in order to grasp the figurative meaning. Such sayings necessarily carry some conclusions about what is good and what is bad, how to act correctly and how not to act.

Proverbs in other countries

Of course, this folklore genre arose and developed not only in Rus'. Such catchphrases exist in almost every country, because they are an indispensable companion to the historical progress of mankind. What is noteworthy is that almost every proverb has its analogues among other nations. Of course, it is adapted to the living conditions and level of civilization of each ethnic group, but the very fact of such a common idea makes scientists puzzle over it. Most likely, this can be explained by the fact that the main moral principles and the ideas of social life are the same in all countries. This is a kind of set of rules, historical heritage and philosophical memory.

The most common themes of proverbs

If we look at this folklore genre in more detail, we will notice that there are areas of life about which there are a lot of statements and sayings. Most often they talk about the need to work to ensure a decent life, about how negative laziness and lack of goals are in a person. They all aim to motivate people to lead a useful and functional lifestyle. For example, how to understand the proverb:

“Lazy hands are not related to a smart head” or “Work feeds a person, but laziness spoils”? The answer is obvious: people who do not want to do anything are doomed to a boring and useless life. Work, on the contrary, gives people joy and understanding of their own need for society and loved ones.

The wolf is a popular image for proverbs

American philologists conducted interesting research and found that Russian sayings very often use animal images. One of them, undoubtedly, is the wolf. In order to reveal the nature of this feature, we must remember that Russian people have been inextricably linked with the environment for centuries. They knew firsthand about wolves and thoroughly studied their habits and way of life.

It is not surprising that there are so many fairy tales, riddles and proverbs associated with this beast. He has no compassion, trusts no one and has no friends. It was these qualities of the forest animal that served as the impetus for playing up the image of the wolf in Russian folklore.

When the USSR arose, the government had to create a completely new ideology. That’s why such sayings as “The Soviet people are harder than rocks” arose. They carried a motivating meaning. These short and succinct sayings should have made it clear to the citizens of the USSR and the whole world how correct the path of socialism chosen by this country was.

But folklore cannot be subordinated to political goals. Proverbs, which were created by professional writers and poets, never took root in everyday life and remained to sound like slogans printed in newspapers and on banners. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, they instantly lost their significance and are of interest only to historians and philologists.

How to correctly use sayings in everyday speech?

Thus, having studied the features of this genre, one can define “what a proverb is” and understand its historical essence.

Proverbs express the people's mind and experience accumulated over many centuries. Proverbs can be used to judge the values of a particular people; they also reflect the most diverse aspects of people’s lives.

A proverb is a figurative expression that aptly reflects a life phenomenon. They most often have no meaning, and they are limited to various allegorical expressions - this is their main difference from proverbs.

Proverbs are one of the most ancient genres of folk art. Their emergence occurred during the primitive communal system, when there were no literary works yet.

Proverbs were not written down anywhere, but were passed on from mouth to mouth, so they main feature is the brevity and accuracy of the information conveyed.

Most proverbs consist of two parts. The first part contains a description of an object or phenomenon, but the second part contains an expressive assessment of this subject or phenomena.

Example of Russian proverbs:

And nothing has changed.
But I'm a fool for nuts.
And listen to our speech: if you resist, eat it!
Where are our sleighs? Either they disappeared or they didn’t exist.
Where is the bread that you ate yesterday?
Where is the cabbage soup, look for us.
And it happened - and the goat ate the wolf.
And I would crush it and carry manure.
Do you know what it smells like?
And just as the prince is thin, so is he in the mud.
When will there be leisure? - And when we are not there.

Sanskrit reveals the forgotten meaning of Russian words

Do you know what proverbs and sayings are?

Proverbs and sayings are apt, precise expressions created by the people, translated from ancient sources or borrowed from literary works.

The proverb is small form folk poetic creativity. As a rule, Russian proverbs consist of two rhyming parts and can have both direct and figurative meaning. Proverbs are often filled with edifying meaning.

The oldest works containing proverbs date back to the 12th century. They can be found in such works as “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, “Prayers of Daniel the Imprisoner”, etc.

What topics are there proverbs on?

Proverbs can also be figurative in nature, but, unlike proverbs, they are not a complete sentence. For example: some go to the forest, some for firewood.

Proverbs and sayings carry the experience accumulated over generations, and also decorate our speech and make it more expressive.

Proverbs differ from sayings in their completeness. A proverb is a complete thought, a saying is only part of a judgment. For example: Water does not flow under a lying stone (proverb) - Beat your backs (proverb). Every day we use proverbs and sayings in our speech. We can find a proverb for almost every occasion in our life; their topics are very diverse: work, family, love, friendship, etc.

Glossary:

– what are proverbs and sayings

– what are proverbs and sayings definition

– what is a proverb definition

– what is a proverb definition for children

– what is a proverb and saying definition

Cossacks Quiet Morning Characteristics of Yashka and Volodya

Categories: Definitions

A proverb is a short folk saying with edifying content, a folk aphorism “Enter the proverb” - to become generally known due to its specificity. Thus, many lines of I.A. Krylov’s fables became proverbs. A saying is a short, stable expression, mostly figurative, which, unlike a saying, does not constitute a complete statement (S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova, Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language). What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? In general, a proverb teaches people that it contains deep meaning. A proverb is an apt remark regarding an event, phenomenon, or object. Compare: “it’s time for work, it’s time for fun” - a proverb, “it doesn’t get easier from hour to hour” - a saying.

Proverbs and sayings are works of oral tradition of the people. Reading them is interesting and exciting. They reflect a person’s life, love for parents, notice character traits of people and describe natural phenomena. They will not become outdated, will be read and will always find a response in human soul. Among the proverbs and sayings, there are those that were composed by Russian writers and poets, those that were composed in Soviet times, and there are proverbs and sayings of our days.

As is the land, so is the bread.

He who hopes for heaven sits without bread.

Just as there is rain in May, so there will be rye.

The horse gets oats, and the land gets manure.

The cuckoo crowed - it's time to sow flax.

Oats love to go into the water at the right time.

The early fallow will give birth to wheat, and the late fallow will give birth to broom.

Rye feeds entirely, and wheat is optional.

The wolf's legs feed him.

Dawn showers with gold.

Gold is not gold without being under the hammer.

Gold is learned through fire, man through work.

Gold glitters even in dirt.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Like a lazy horse: if you hit it, it will run away.

Like a bear, there is no soul in the forest.

Like an elephant loitering.

There are many stars in the sky, and high. There is a lot of gold in the ground, and deep. And a penny in your bosom is good for any time.

After sowing barley, don’t wait for wheat.

And the dog knows his side.

Homeland is more beautiful than the sun, more valuable than gold.

The goose flew overseas, the goose, not the swan, and flew back.

In a foreign land, even a dog feels sad.

And the rich man even sheds tears for gold.

It’s bare, bare, but there’s an onion in the cabbage soup.

Hunger drives the wolf out of the forest.

A hungry wolf is stronger than a well-fed dog.

Lunch without bread is bitter.

Bread is precious if there is no money.

A cat lives, a dog lives, but what is life like?

Lots of rye, but all quinoa.

The sheep is being sheared, the ram is trembling.

And the bear in captivity dances.

The horse has no oats to shovel, but he is eager to be released.

There would be bread, but there would be porridge.

Bread is the breadwinner.

Bread on the road is not a burden.

People don't joke about bread.

Peas and turnips are not good for the stomach.

A pea is not a rowan, but everything is one.

I would eat radishes, but my teeth are rare.

Eating turnips is no great honor.

The wolf called the goat to a feast, but the goat did not come.

The cow is warm - milk is on the table.

Don't trust the buckwheat in bloom, but trust in the bin.

If a poppy is not born, you will live like this.

The holy horse has eight legs.

Altyn of silver doesn't hurt your ribs.

The fox will guide seven wolves.

More more proverbs on MoiPoslovitsy.ru.

See proverbs and sayings on other topics:

Proverbs are short sayings expressing the worldly wisdom of the people. A saying, like a proverb, is a witty, apt folk judgment, short in form.

proverbs and sayings in your speech. We can find a proverb for almost every occasion in our life; their topics are very diverse: work, family, love, friendship, etc.

Glossary:

What are proverbs and sayings

What are proverbs and sayings definition

What is a proverb definition

What is a proverb definition for children

What is a proverb and saying definition

Definition: What are Sayings and Proverbs?

Categories: Definitions

Proverbs and sayings are something that is passed down from generation to generation. family traditions and the wisdom of generations. Despite the fact that different nations on different languages have their own proverbs and sayings, in many ways they all overlap and are united general meaning and meaning.

Personally, I didn’t even notice when it started, but I myself talk to children incredibly often, using proverbs or sayings. And what’s nice is that as children grow up, they also, unnoticed by themselves, use them in their speech.

Let's talk today about proverbs and sayings for children.

Sayings and proverbs are short sayings that carry folk wisdom. It is believed that these sayings were invented by the people, and their instructive content is reinforced by centuries of experience. Since ancient times, people have reflected in their statements the customs and traditions accepted in their lives, and also ridiculed human vices: stupidity, envy, greed, etc. The meaning of proverbs is to pass on the experience of the people to future generations, and essence of proverbs– to teach descendants “smartness”, to make sure that they learn from the mistakes of others and have the opportunity to avoid their own. In addition, folk sayings make our language more eloquent, lively, and decorate speech.

The first books found with proverbs and sayings date back to 2500. They were found back in Ancient Egypt. Even then, people carefully kept instructive records for subsequent generations.

Many sayings are taken from the works of great Russian poets and writers. For example, in the work of Griboyedov A.S. “Woe from Wit” there are more than two dozen phrases and expressions that have become “catch phrases”.

Proverbs and sayings in fairy tales

Many fairy tales and fables are based on proverbs. Many folk sayings can be found in children's fairy tales. For example, the proverb for the fairy tale “The Frog Traveler”: “Every magpie dies by its own tongue.” And here is the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” - “What is expensive is what is done on time.” A large number of popular expressions can be gleaned from the Bible, especially in its Old Testament part.

The largest collection of proverbs and sayings in our country is a collection created in the 19th century by Russian philologist Vladimir Dahl, who studied folk sayings for about 20 years. The book contains more than 30,000 sayings, which are divided into special thematic sections.

Proverbs and sayings differ from each other in the purpose of their statement, although they are often confused.

How are proverbs different from sayings?

Let's figure out how proverbs and sayings differ.

Proverbs. What are they?

Proverb- This short saying, embodying the instructive wisdom of the people. A proverb contains a complete thought.

apply to various life phenomena;
have two parts that rhyme with each other;
contains a moral message or a warning;
is a proposal.

Example of a proverb: “You can’t even pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.”

What about sayings? What is it?

Proverb is simply a phrase or phrase, full of eloquence, but not containing teachings. They can be replaced by any other words within the meaning. A saying, for the most part, is only part of a judgment. Example of a saying: “Put your teeth on the shelf.”

Both proverbs and sayings decorate human speech and teach wisdom to younger generations. Typically, proverbs are divided into several topics to make them easier to find and study. Let's give a few examples.

Proverbs about the Motherland

Your own land is sweet in a handful;
There is no more beautiful country in the world than ours;
The homeland is the mother, the foreign land is the stepmother.
It's warmer overseas, but it's lighter here.
A man without a homeland is a nightingale without a song.
The bird that dislikes its nest is stupid.
The native land is a paradise for the heart.
The bird is small, but it protects its nest.
Take care of your native land like your beloved mother.

Proverbs about home

Being a guest is good, but being at home is better;
If the hut is crooked, the mistress is bad;
Don’t open your mouth to someone else’s loaf, but get up early and start your own.
My home is my castle.
Each hut has its own rattles.
A good wife will save the house, but a thin one will shake it with her sleeve.
Lead the house, don’t weave bast shoes.
Houses and walls help.
The hut is not red in its corners, but red in its pies.
It's good to sing songs outside the mountains, but it's better to live at home.
At home - as you want, and in public - as you are told.

Proverbs about friendship

Brother will not betray brother;
An old friend is better than two new ones.
Friendship is different from friendship, but throw another one;
Friendship is like glass: if you break it, you won't be able to put it back together.
Friendship is not a mushroom; you won’t find it in the forest.
A true friend is better than a hundred servants.
Friendship is friendship, and service is service.
Look for friends, and enemies will appear.
Whoever you hang out with, that's how you'll gain.
If you hold on to each other, you won’t be afraid of anything.
Friendship is strong not through flattery, but through truth and honor.
All for one, one for all.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
A friend argues, a foe agrees.
A strong friendship cannot be cut with an axe.
There is safety in numbers.
What you don’t want for yourself, don’t do to others.
One bee will not bring much honey.
You can't get along with someone who likes to scold.

Proverbs about family and children

In a friendly family it is warm even in the cold;
Food tastes better at a shared family table;
In your home, the walls also help.
The whole family is together, and the soul is in place.
A family in a heap - not even a cloud is scary.
Harmony and harmony in the family is a treasure.
There is discord in the family, and I’m not happy at home.
A tree is held together by its roots, and a person is held together by its family.
They show off their daughters, they live in honor with their sons.
Mother's prayer reaches from the bottom of the sea.
To honor your father and mother means not to know grief.
To cherish your family is to be happy.
Our people - we will be numbered.
A mother's heart warms better than the sun.
Even if it’s crowded, it’s better together.
Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.
It's warm in a friendly family even in the cold.
Where there is peace and harmony, there is God's grace.
Where there is advice, there is light, where there is agreement, there is God.
Good brotherhood is better than wealth.
It is not the stove that warms the house, but love and harmony.
The hut is fun for children.
The bird is happy about spring, and the child is happy about its mother.
For an obedient son, parental orders are not burdensome.
Birds in the nest until autumn, children in the family until the age.
Where there is love, there is God.

Proverbs about animals

At all times, people have learned from the example of our smaller brothers. Here is a selection instructive proverbs based on the use of animal images.

God does not give a horn to a lively cow;
The wolf's legs feed him;
If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest.
You can’t even take a fish out of a pond without difficulty.
Know your nest, cricket.
And the wolves are fed, and the sheep are safe.
Each sandpiper praises its swamp.
A small dog is a puppy until old age.
The animal runs towards the catcher.
On someone else's side, I'm happy with my little crow.
Every day is not Sunday.
To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf.
Nightingales are not fed fables.
The dog is in the manger - he doesn’t eat himself and doesn’t give it to others

Proverbs about work

Time for business - time for fun;
The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing;
Whoever gets up early, God gives him.
Hardworking - like an ant.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Work hard and there will be bread in the bins.
Who does not work shall not eat.
Whoever gets up early, God gives to him.
Finished the job - go for a walk safely.
Don’t take on your own business, and don’t be lazy about yours.
The master's work is afraid.
Patience and a little effort.
From the labors of the righteous one cannot make stone chambers.
Labor feeds, but laziness spoils.

Proverbs for children

IN family of origin and the porridge is thicker;
The mouth rejoices at a large piece;
If you don't know the ford, don't go into the water.
Childhood is a golden time.
The food tastes better at a communal table.
In a healthy body healthy mind.
Small and smart.
The child's finger hurts, the mother's heart hurts.
Sow a habit and grow character.
Love is good mutually.
All is well that ends well.
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
If you love to ride, you also love to carry sleds.
A warm word melts the ice.
Don’t take on many things, but excel in one.
My tongue is my enemy.
Seven do not wait for one.
The quieter you go, the further you'll get.
If you hurry, you will make people laugh.
As it comes back, so will it respond.

Proverbs about books and study

Living with a book is a breeze.
The book is small, but it gave me some insight.
A good book is your best friend.
He who reads a lot knows a lot.
Reading books means never getting bored.
The more you learn, the stronger you will become.
Speech is silver, silence is gold.
The world is illuminated by the sun, and man is illuminated by knowledge.
Learning is light and ignorance is darkness.
They meet you by their clothes, they see you off by their mind.
Live and learn.
The word is not a sparrow: if it flies out, you won’t catch it.

There is a great thematic variety of proverbs and sayings, the benefits of which are little man difficult to overestimate.

What are the benefits of proverbs for children

What is the wisdom and benefit of sayings and proverbs for children? Here are just some of the advantages of proverbs:

pass on folk wisdom;
introduce them to the beauty and richness of their native language;
teach common sense;
instill moral and aesthetic views;
form life experience;
encourage action;
shape the child’s outlook on life;
learn to formulate thoughts clearly and concisely;
develop creative thinking;
help develop clear diction;
help to assimilate a variety of intonation of statements: affection, grief, surprise, etc.;
learn the pronunciation of sounds that are difficult to combine with each other;
develop sound culture speeches;
develop memory;
develop a sense of rhythm, rhyme, etc.

Experts recommend that parents introduce their children to proverbs and sayings from the very beginning. early age. Their correct use in games and developmental activities helps children develop harmoniously in accordance with their age, develops clear and competent speech and instills in them a love for their native Russian word.

Knowledge of proverbs and the wisdom of generations is most easily acquired in the game. While studying proverbs and sayings with your child, you can periodically organize fun things - games and competitions with proverbs.

Finish the sentence

The easiest way to remember proverbs and sayings is to play this game with your child. The adult names part of the proverb, and the child must continue:

For example: Cats - over there... (the child continues) - there is plenty for mice.

Proverb Master

Game-competition for knowledge of proverbs. It is necessary to say proverbs in turn, without repeating. The one who runs out of all options loses)))

Explain the proverb, or where is the moral?

Invite the children to explain the meaning of proverbs. Such a task can lead to a serious conversation, and will teach the child to look for morality and draw the right conclusions from actions, teach him to analyze his behavior and encourage him to be better.

Game "Twins"

Offer children a series of proverbs written on cards. Behind certain time children must collect pairs of proverbs, suitable friend friend in meaning.

For example: “All that glitters is not gold” and “They meet you by their clothes, they see you off by their minds”

“Strike while the iron is hot” and “If you miss an hour, you won’t make it up in a year”

Watch a video show about proverbs and sayings with your children:

This is the conversation we had about proverbs and sayings. Do you apply the wisdom of nations in your speech? Can you add any games for knowledge of proverbs and sayings? Write in the comments!

With warmth,